Nicklaus optimistic Woods and U.S. Ryder Cup team will bounce back from golfing lulls

U.S. golf legend Jack Nicklaus is optimistic that former world number one Tiger Woods and the American Ryder Cup team both will bounce back after going through golfing lulls.

Woods, who is returning from a back injury, has not won a major since he took his total to 14, second on the all-time list, at the 2008 US Open.

18-time Major winner Nicklaus said that Woods has had a great career, and he doesn't think that the former world number one's career is over, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Nicklaus claimed that Woods has had a little lull in his career and they would see what happens from there, claiming that he himself had lulls in His career, too, referring to two three-year periods and one six-year gap between majors.

Nicklaus insisted that he came back from that and believes that Woods might do the same.

Nicklaus, who would celebrate his 75th birthday next week, also said that the sinking fortunes of the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup, spotlighted by last year's 16-1/2 to 11-1/2 rout by Europe at Gleneagles, was likely to turn around.

The U.S. legend said that there's a lot of criticism that came from the Ryder Cup and not winning that, but believes that they are going to go in cycles on that and right now there's a lot of really good players in Europe.

Nicklaus added that the Europeans just played better than the American players and that was all there was to it, claiming that there's nothing magic about it.

But, Nicklaus said that that would turn around, adding that the American players have their pride and they would play better as time goes on, and would win their share of Ryder Cup matches.